Google has decided to shutter the Android Things operating system it launched to run smart home hardware.
This OS was the final version of Google Brillo, which first released all the way back in 2015. This system aimed to provide underlying architecture that manufacturers could use to update devices that feature Google Assistant integration.
For example, devices like the JBL Link View and Lenovo Smart Display run on Android Things.
This means that manufacturers are going to have to find another way to develop Google Assistant-enabled speakers and smart displays.
Google’s developer support site says that “The commercial hardware SoMs from NXP, Qualcomm, and MediaTek are only available to specific OEM partners building smart speakers and smart displays.” SoM stands for system on module.
As a result of this shift, big companies like JBL will likely still keep making Google Assistant speakers, but small brands might have a harder time scaling up.
Google says that the system will shut down in January 2022 and that it will stop accepting new devices in three weeks on January 5, 2021.
